Kung-Fu Orange Belt

The entire batch at the Dojo at Silver Oak got their Orange belts. Armaan had a fever but didn't want to miss it. I'm so proud of both of them !

My Beautiful Black Belt :-)

On Happiness

"When will I learn?
The answer to life's problems aren't at the bottom of a bottle, they're on TV!"

- Homer Simpson

Until a few years ago I actually thought that a lot of my happiness was to be found on my "To Do" list. Some of that was stuff, some were experiences and some were people.

Discovery channel worsened that by adding travel shows titled "100 places to see before you die". Which makes it seem that your life is not worth living if you haven't been to those places.

I see now that I was seriously undermining my present joy, as well as the true value of a lot of what I presently have [ not "stuff" ] which makes me truly happy. And most of that happiness comes from within; from deep inside me.

We also derive our Joy from different sorts of things.

New Years eve 2011 and the maid confides to Deepa that her daughter has saved up a hundred rupees of her pocket money to buy a gaudy coloured butter-cream cake from the local bakery. In my opinion, this is a fairly large amount for her to be blowing up on something so transiently flippant as a New Years cake. But she is only 12years old and is determined to go ahead. Deepa instead decides to bake a cake for her and save her the expense, yet also giving her some fun by involving her in the baking process.

Deepa rightly pointed out that clearly they were excited about it and there was joy to be had for their family from that little cake cutting, and who are we to judge that.

I must agree that when I sat to note the actual [ unpublishable ] list of things that make me happy, they are mostly quite simple in nature and unique to me. And in all honesty, I've probably never been as happy and content in my life as I am right now.

These are the glasses and filters that we each have on and which affect and colour our world view.

It may be useful to try and understand : How do these glasses come on ? Do we choose our glasses, or does someone put them on for us ? Do we ever change our glasses ? If yes, how often ? etc.

We can never judge someone on their choice of glasses.

Assuming that our Happiness is derived from Freedom. And freedom is derived from the the ability to make free choices; I see that in reality none of us are truly free.
For we live in a cell that is invisible to us. Many of us don't realise that we are actually prisoners. And those of us that do, don't realise that we ourselves are our own prison keepers !! We have the keys to our own cell.

So screw you Discovery Channel !  And all you other advertisers who keep trying to tell me my life is incomplete without your products.